Timeline of Luol Deng's career in Chicago

Deng finishes as fourth-leading scorer in Chicago Bulls' franchise history

January 08, 2014|By Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune reporter

Luol Deng could be wonderfully droll, turning a reporter's vague questions into comedy.

After he blew a game-winning layup with three seconds to play against the Magic on Dec. 16, a reporter asked what happened on the play.

"I missed a layup," he replied.

How tough was it to miss the shot?

"I don't know," he responded. "What's the scale?"

That was a glimpse into Deng's appealing personality. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and Executive VP John Paxson, of course, experienced the full monty.

"We take great pride in players that represent the organization," Paxson said, "and Lu's gone above and beyond what we could have ever imagined."

Said Thibodeau: "The way he worked and the way he performed, those are two things I value greatly. Then when you add to it the type of person he is, all the things he did in the community, he embodied what we stand for."

Here's a timeline of Deng's career in Chicago:

June 24, 2004: The Bulls draft Ben Gordon with the third overall pick and snag Deng via a trade with Phoenix, which took him seventh. The Suns swap Deng for a future first-round pick, the rights to Iowa State's Jackson Vroman and $3 million. Deng, 19, played only one season for Duke. (Footnote: Phoenix used that future pick on Nate Robinson, who went 21st overall in 2005.)

Nov. 5, 2004: Logs 38 minutes in his career debut, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds and 3 assists against the Nets.

April 2, 2004: Deng misses the season's final 10 games because of ligament damage to his right wrist that requires surgery and 10 weeks in a cast. "My left hand is definitely going to be better," he says.

September 2006: Deng returns to Africa as part of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program, saying: "This is very moving and emotional." Deng's father, Aldo, served as Sudan's Minister of Transportation but sent his family to Egypt for their safety when Luol was 4.

2006-07 season: Deng is the only Bulls player to start 82 games, and he leads the team in minutes played (37.5 per game) and field-goal percentage (51.7) while averaging 18.8 points.

May 3, 2007: Receives the NBA's annual sportsmanship award, voted on by fellow players for "ethical behavior, fair play and integrity."

July 29, 2008: After rejecting a five-year, $57.5 million offer from the Bulls, Deng plays out the '07-'08 season. Due in part to injuries, his numbers dip slightly to 17 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but he gets a six-year extension worth $71 million. "I had a really tough time with people thinking I was greedy," he says.

Feb. 28, 2009: Deng jumps for a rebound against Houston, injuring his right shin. The Bulls clear Deng to play, but he seeks a second opinion.

March 4, 2009: The Bulls release a statement on Deng's condition that becomes fodder for sports-talk shows and columnists. The team calls the injury "mild inflammation … with no obvious break. At this point, he will undergo 'active rest,' meaning that he will be encouraged to challenge himself physically."

May 2, 2009: The Bulls lose to Boston in a memorable seven-game series without Deng, who misses the final two months of the season after being diagnosed with a small stress fracture of the right tibia.

Oct. 27, 2009: Two days before the season opener, Deng says: "I couldn't play. I would have been stupid if I had said, 'You know what? I'm just going to lace them up and play.' I probably would have missed this year if I did. I was really close to having surgery for a fractured tibia, which in some cases is career-ending. But I didn't want to take the criticism personally. I tried to be smart about it, tried to be true to myself. I know how hard I worked for this game."

Nov. 1, 2010: Before tipoff against Portland, Deng says: "I'm not happy about my start offensively, but I'm also not worried because I know it will come around." He then scores a career-high 40 points on 14-for-19 shooting.

May 26, 2011: The Bulls lose in five games to Miami, ending an otherwise impressive playoff run during which Deng averages an exhausting 42.9 minutes.

Jan. 24, 2012: Deng vows to play through a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Feb. 9, 2012: Deng is selected as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, calling it "a great honor" and joking: "Am I supposed to play 'D'? I don't know. I'll talk to Derrick (Rose) about that."

May 26, 2012: The Bulls agree to let Deng play in the London Olympics, despite his wrist injury. Deng plays for Britain, which granted his father political asylum in 1993, and passes on surgery.

Feb. 26, 2012: After his name is announced at the All-Star Game, Deng proudly reveals a black T-shirt emblazoned with an outline of Africa. "I'm sure there are a lot of kids," he says, "who really enjoyed it and made them happy to see that." Deng logs just six minutes in the game after falling on his left wrist.